1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to flash memory apparatus and initialization method for programming operation, in particular, to an initialization for incremental step pulse programming (ISPP).
2. Description of Related Art
As the popularization of electronic apparatus, to satisfy the need of a large amount of information used by the user, it is one of essential requirements for the electronic apparatus to provide data storage medium with good quality. For the current state in the art, the flash memory as the data storage medium with capability to write in and read out data has been an essential part of the electronic apparatus.
The operation for programming the flash memory can be performed by using the technology of ISPP. The ISPP operation uses multiple pulses with incrementing voltages to program the memory cells. The distribution state of threshold voltages of the memory cells after programming the cells can be controlled by the factors of pulse voltage level, the number of pulse being applied and pulse width. In order to effectively control the distribution range of threshold voltages of the memory cells after programming the cells and effectively control the time in need for programming the cells, setting an initial programming voltage is an essential issue for the one with skill in the art.